“It’s one of the toughest things that players struggle with,” Jones said. “And it’s something that I think about on a daily basis: What can I do where they’ll think of me as a good dad?”

Certainly, baseball players do not face the same parenting difficulties as active military members or even traveling professionals who lack the luxury of an offseason. But among the major team sports, baseball is the least compatible with being a dad.

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Braves closer Bob Wickman avoids the pressure of having to make the most of off days by taking his wife and three children virtually everywhere with him. His wife, Sue, homeschools the children and takes them to spring training and on just about every team road trip.

When the team is in Atlanta, the children – ages 10, 8 and 3 – attend a local private school. And after the season, the family returns to its home in Wisconsin, and the children go to school there.

“We pull them in and out,” Wickman said. “Right now they’re probably getting tired of it, they’ve done it so much. I think they just want to get settled with some friends.”

Like Wickman, many players enroll their children in private schools that allow their wives to homeschool the kids during spring training and occasional road trips. But few, if any, families travel as much.

Many prefer the stability that comes with leaving the kids at home. Though the opposite extreme can be just as difficult.